The BSA would lose alot of great leaders

This controversy has been pretty intense lately. I feel that if every leader who has been hiding the fact that they were gay, the BSA would probably lose a quarter of their leadership. It is more prevalent than people think. The majority are there to educate the boys on valuable life skills that could help them to be the future of our country. There are very valuable leaders, gay or not, that contribute positively to the scouting movement. The thought that gay leaders would bring pedophilia to the table is ludicrous. Yes, some gays could be pedophiles, but pedophiles are not all gay. The BSA needs to focus on weeding out the pedophiles and less on worrying about the gay leadership. Gay people can live by the scout oath and law just as effectively as straight people. Private lives should be kept private and people just need to continue being the great leaders that they are. Thank you!

Sexual Orientation Should Not Matter

As long as the troop leader has the ability to leave his orientation out of the picture then it should not matter whether he is straight, gay, bisexual, or asexual... Boy Scouts should have nothing to do with sexuality. Parents shouldn't even have to be aware of the leader's sexuality. As long as sexual orientation is kept private it would never be an issue in the first place....

Yes, they probably have all along.

It's only recently that gay men have been more open about their sexuality. The Boy Scouts have probably had gay troop leaders throughout its history without knowing it. Maybe I am naive, but I believe gay men live pretty much the same way as heterosexual men, and differ only in their sexual activity. Just because they are gay they do not pose a threat to children. A gay man who interacted with children sexually would be a pedophile, and that is something a heterosexual man can do as well. It is really biased to assume that by virtue of being gay a man is unsuitable to be a Boy Scout leader.

Yes

Gay people are just like everyone else. The idea that gay people are somehow different or worse than the general population is absurd. A skilled gay person would be just as good at being a troop leader for the Boy Scouts as anyone else. The Boy Scouts should let anyone who is qualified be a troop leader.

Of course.

The Boy Scouts should indeed allow gay troop leaders. To not do so is bigotry, and bigotry is against their tenets, isn't it? There is absolutely no good reason why gay people should not be allowed to be troop leaders across the board (not leaving it up to individual troops, but making it a blanket admission). Further, it's not the boy scouts business if anyone is gay. What have they thought all this time, that gay people aren't capable of being competent? They should be concerned about pedophiles, not gays.

Some gays are pedos NOT ALL OF THEM but why to risk?

The role model for a man is to be a man. In the Bible, God teaches why a man and woman are created and what their natural role is.The man likes the woman and the woman likes the man.Such decision must be stopped right away for the traditional role of human society.I don't want my future children to get raped by some homos.In fact EVERYBODY WHO IS GAY MUST BE BANNED FROM THE BOY SCOUTS.

Some gays are pedos NOT ALL OF THEM but why to risk?

The role model for a man is to be a man. In the Bible, God teaches why a man and woman are created and what their natural role is.The man likes the woman and the woman likes the man.Such decision must be stopped right away for the traditional role of human society.I don't want my future children to get raped by some homos.In fact EVERYBODY WHO IS GAY MUST BE BANNED FROM THE BOY SCOUTS.

Traditional family structure

We wanted our son to experience Boy Scouts and all it has to offer to help a young man grow up responsible with many developing skills and confidence. We also wanted the role model of the men leading him to reflect that. That leader also Holding to a tradition view of family structure. Men with women for life time marriages, raising children. Which for us is fundamental to all of society. Having a homosexual leader may pervert that in him. So therefore, we can not accept or expose our young son to such a leader, for such an important role, and a time in his young impressionable life. We are grooming him to be a worker with valuable skills, ethical, moral, a husband of one woman for life and a father to his children. As well as a man who can, when ready, understand the issues in society that some face without hate and malice. Much like his Dad.

Scouting represents traditional values

People act on sexual attraction even when it is prohibited, the idea is to remove as many variables as possible.

The premise of young people looking to adults as authority figures is normal. When an adult chooses to violate sexual boundaries with a child, even if it is only 1 adult male leader out of 10,000 male leaders, this behavior leaves a permanent emotional scar. Such damage is readily apparent by what occurred in the Catholic church.

This particular issue has nothing to do with "human rights" being denied to the LGBT community.

Accurate, unbiased knowledge and understanding is key.

As with many issues, all the parameters are not homogeneous. Differing perspectives, interests, and available facts can easily change perceptions. Too often opinions are based on narrow points of view. Certain ramifications may not be recognized, or may be simply dismissed.Please review the relatively short video below for insight into some perspectives:https://www.Youtube.Com/watch?V=jqPQxbRVOPc

Gays can be attracted to young teen-age boys.

(1) Why put a constant temptation in front of gay scout leaders? (2) The role model for a man is to be a man. In the Bible, God teaches why a man and woman are created and what their natural role is. If gays do not believe in this, they should form their own Gay Scouts organization instead of trying to change what the Boy Scouts stand for. Girls aren't allowed to join Boy Scouts either, and girls are allowed to have their own exclusive club.

Sexual orientation does not belong in scouting.

I am a scout leader and have 5 sons that have gone through the program or are currently active scouts. We do not think there should be a change. Scouting represents traditional values. And that is why we are in scouting. I have recruited boys into the program who turned out to be gay. Its okay. We do not discriminate against a boy. I have recruited boys who were atheists. Its okay. We do not discriminate against a boy. We take a pledge as leaders that we believe in God and do our best to live by the scout oath and law. I think our society needs a place for traditional values to be upheld. The parents of the boys who have no father, who have no religious beliefs, or a steady hand on a traditional valued homelife bring their boys to us. We can expose them to a traditional valued youth organization. That is what we are. Our society has few places left where these values are held in earnest. I do not hate gay people. I do not teach bigotry to my own children or to a boy scout. We teach quite the opposite. In fact we role model tolerance for peoples beliefs, or lifestyle choices. I live by the same oath and law that I was taught in the seventies. Its okay. I was not discriminated against by my Jewish scout leaders because I was a Christian boy. You see that is the beauty of scouting. Anyone can join and be a part of scouting...and if you do join and you do value scouting and its principles you would also believe that what we are and what we stand for is worth preserving. This is America 2013 and we have lots of trends, fashions and current culture all around us. Does anyone subscribe to every aspect of this culture? Does everyone enjoy the same music, bottle of wine, tv show? If you do not like something then don't choose it. If you think you might...try it! Same with scouting...try it. If it is not for you its okay. We are who we are...and proud to be an American and so should you.